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Harper Government Acknowledges the National Day to End Bullying

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 1, 2013) - The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women made the following statement on the National Day to End Bullying. In order to increase public awareness of this growing problem, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, in partnership with CIBC, has declared May 1st as Belonging - National Day to End Bullying.

"Our Government recognizes that bullying is a serious concern for many Canadian families and communities," said Minister Toews. "Through our Government's investments in the National Crime Prevention Centre and education and awareness-raising activities, we are taking steps to address the problems of cyberbullying and bullying. On May 1st, I encourage Canadians to get informed and to speak out against bullying, so that together we can protect our young people."

"We all have a stake in keeping children safe online," said Minister Nicholson. "We are working with our provincial and territorial partners to review the Criminal Code to ensure that we have the means to protect our children."

"Bullying is a very serious issue and we all have a role to play to protect Canada's youth against becoming victims," says Minister Ambrose. "Our Government will remain vigilant when it comes to protecting Canada's most vulnerable individuals - our children."

Under the National Crime Prevention Strategy, in the fall of 2012, the Government of Canada committed up to $10 million towards new crime prevention projects, including the prevention of school-based bullying, focused on children and youth.

GetCyberSafe, the Government of Canada's public awareness campaign on online safety, has information about cyberbullying that includes how to talk to youth about it, and how to respond to this type of incident.

NeedHelpNow.ca is a new resource designed to help youth who have made the mistake of sending sexual images of themselves to peers, which can lead to cyberbullying. The site offers youth tips on removing content, strategies for addressing peers and moving forward, as well as information on possible related Criminal Code violations.

For more information on the "Belonging - National Day to End Bullying" campaign, please visit: www.belonging.ca.

For more information on bullying, visit the RCMP's site: www.deal.org.